SR SahelReporters

By Aviashima Toom, abuja The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the schedule for the physical screening and documentation exercise for successful candidates shortlisted for recruitment into the Service. The exercise will take place at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College (NCCSC), Gwagwalada, Abuja. In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, by the Deputy Comptroller of Customs and National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, the NCS directed all shortlisted candidates to appear at the screening venue with the original and photocopies of the required documents. The documents include the National Identification Number (NIN), original Birth Certificate or Declaration of Age, and educational certificates, including O'Level, ND, HND, Degree and other applicable qualifications. Candidates are also required to present a Certificate of State of Origin, two recent passport photographs, a comple...

By Aviashima Toom, abuja The Cross River State Police Command has pledged to strengthen security collaboration with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to safeguard medical personnel, healthcare facilities and patients across the state. The Commissioner of Police, Cross River State Command, CP Ajo Geoffrey Ordue, psc, mnips, mspsp, made the commitment on Monday, August 31, 2026, when he received the leadership of the NMA, Cross River State Chapter, led by its Chairman, Dr. Pius Unimke Agweye, during a strategic engagement at the Command headquarters. The meeting focused on strengthening communication, intelligence-sharing and coordinated responses to security challenges affecting healthcare workers and medical facilities across the state. CP Ajo Geoffrey stressed that the safety of medical personnel is an important component of community security, noting that healthcare workers provide essential services and should be able to carry out their responsibilities in a safe an...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja   National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has warned Nigerians against calls to return to the fuel subsidy regime, saying such a policy could reverse gains recorded under the Federal Government’s ongoing economic reforms. Yilwatda, who spoke in Abuja while receiving a delegation of economic stakeholders, said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to restore fuel subsidy could expose the country to the fiscal pressures that characterised the previous system. He specifically warned that a return to subsidy could lead to fuel shortages, undermine the sustainability of the current minimum wage and constrain government’s ability to fund education and other essential services. According to him, the subsidy debate should go beyond the promise of cheaper petrol and focus on the wider economic implications of diverting government revenue to subsidise fuel consumption. “Subsidy may appear attractive...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Mining Marshals have defended the continued closure of the Stone Rockers Nigeria Limited quarry in Abuja, saying the facility remains a crime scene in an ongoing criminal case before the Federal High Court. The agency’s position followed a recent petition by Stone Rockers to President Bola Tinubu and other senior government officials over the 13-month shutdown of its quarry operations. The company had alleged that its operations were unlawfully shut down without a valid court order, prompting renewed public attention to the dispute. However, the Commander of the Mining Marshals dismissed the allegation, explaining that the quarry was not sealed as an administrative sanction but because it constitutes the locus criminis, or scene of the alleged crime, in a criminal prosecution currently before the court. According to the Commander, Stone Rockers Nigeria Limited and its director, Mr Kolawole Olaiya, are standing trial in Charge No. FHC/ABM/CR/338/...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja   The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has strengthened its operational and leadership capacity with the graduation of 50 officers from the three-month Junior Course 25 at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College (NCCSC), Gwagwalada, Abuja. The officers graduated at a ceremony held on Friday, August 28, 2026, marking another milestone in the Service’s efforts to develop competent and accountable leaders for modern Customs administration. Speaking as the Special Guest of Honour, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, charged the graduates to uphold integrity, sound judgment and the national interest in the discharge of their duties. Adeniyi stressed that leadership in contemporary Customs administration goes beyond revenue generation, noting that officers must demonstrate competence, fairness, courage and accountability in responding to increasingly complex operational challenges. “Leadership is not defined solely by th...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  The Nigerian Army has raised the alarm over an attempted unauthorised access to its official X (formerly Twitter) account, saying it has activated measures to secure the platform and prevent further compromise. The Army said the incident occurred at about 5pm on Saturday, August 29, 2026, and is being treated as a cybersecurity breach. In a statement signed by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, the Army said immediate technical and protective measures had been put in place to secure the account, restore exclusive administrative control and protect the integrity of information shared on the platform. The Army consequently advised members of the public, media organisations and other stakeholders to disregard any suspicious, unauthorised, misleading or unverified content that may be posted on the affected X account. “Such content does not represent the official position of the Nigerian Army,” the statement warned....

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has been thrown into mourning following the death of its General Secretary, Comrade Emmanuel Okechukwu Ugboaja, who passed away in the early hours of Saturday, August 22, 2026, after a protracted illness. Ugboaja’s death was formally announced by the NLC leadership following a meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) in Enugu, where labour leaders expressed deep sorrow over the loss of a man they described as a formidable voice for Nigerian workers and the oppressed. In a communique signed by NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, and titled “A Dark Cloud Over the Labour Movement: We Announce the Tragic Passing Unto Glory of Our General Secretary, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja,” the Congress said the news of his death came from his family and left the NEC devastated. “It is therefore with the deepest sorrow and a heavy sense of loss that we, the leaders of Nigerian workers, officially inform the nation and the gl...